SCHOOLS in North Wales will benefit from less than £1m of a £45m Assembly Government building programme, Conservatives protested yesterday.

The spending was announced by education minister Jane Hutt for new schools and repairs in 2009/10.

But of the £45m programme, Denbighshire will receive £410,000 and Wrexham will receive £275,000.

The minister announced spending up to 2012 of £78.7m, yet only £5.1m will be in North Wales, said Tory parliamentary candidate in Delyn Antoinette Sandbach.

“In this current economic climate, with extensive job losses in North Wales, the Assembly’s spending on capital projects is of great importance to pupils in North Wales and could provide valuable jobs here.

“Once again there is an overwhelming bias towards South Wales.”

Forty schools and colleges will benefit from almost £109m in the next three years, including 12 new schools and 10 significant refurbishments.

Denbighshire receives £410,000 for a feasibility study at Rhyl High, while Wrexham is promised a new building at Rhosymedre primary.

An Assembly Government spokesperson said unsuccessful bids from Anglesey, Conwy, Flintshire, and Gwynedd will be reviewed in May and June.

Those councils would still receive £9m each in improvement grant.

All bids were assessed fairly against the same criteria, which was agreed with the Welsh Local Government Association.